Lock devices, systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are various embodiments of lock devices, systems, and methods. A lock of the application can include an internal mechanism to permit backdriven operation and lost motion operation. In one form the lock can be made from an assembly of parts that have locating features that require one way installation/assembly. The lock can include an internal power source capable of driving electronics used to determine handedness of a door.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/592,358, filed Jan. 30, 2012, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Providing door lock assemblies that provide locking and unlocking doorsremains an area of interest. Some existing systems have variousshortcomings relative to certain applications and needs. Accordingly,there remains a need for further contributions in this area oftechnology. For example, present approaches to electromechanical lockposition sensing, control and autohanding, suffer from a variety ofdrawbacks, limitations, disadvantages and problems. Errors associatedwith installation and programming of electromechanical locks cancompromise lock function. Such errors may increase installation time andcost. They may also cause inaccurate indications of lock malfunction ordefects resulting in unnecessary troubleshooting or product returns andexchanges. Installation and programming errors may occur in a number ofmanners including mistakes in physical assembly of lock components aswell as mistakes in configuration and programming of electronic lockcomponents. There is a need for the unique and inventive devices,systems, and methods of electromechanical lock position sensing,autohanding, and control disclosed herein. Present approaches to remotecommunication with and operation of electromechanical locks face anumber of challenges and suffer from a number of limitations andproblems. For example, electromechanical door locks often utilize abattery-based power supply. Security, cost, and convenienceconsiderations dictate minimizing current drain and power consumption inorder to increase battery life and reduce the uncertainty, expense andinconvenience imposed by dead battery events. The ever-growing presenceof competing electromagnetic signals from portable phones, cell phones,wireless internet communications, and other sources further complicateefforts to provide remote operability for electromechanical locks.Additional challenges arise out of the desire to provide remotelyoperable electromechanical locks that are compatible with preexistingnetworks and communication protocols and allow interoperation andcommunication with other devices and systems. Providing suchfunctionality imposes power demands on lock communication and controlcircuitry that are by the driven by the standards and designs of theexisting networks and protocols. Further challenges are presented wherethe existing network is dynamically configurable. Such networks mayutilize techniques for changing, maintaining, organizing or optimizingnetwork configuration which conflict with other design considerationssuch as power and current drain reduction or minimization, for example,a network control technique may rely upon transceivers being awake, orhaving a certain wake latency and network performance may suffer due tolack of response from a sleeping transceiver. These and other challengeshave presented a need for the unique and inventive devices, systems, andmethods disclosed herein.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present invention is a unique door lock assembly.Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware,methods, and combinations for proving powered door bolts. Furtherembodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of thepresent application shall become apparent from the description andfigures provided herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A depicts an embodiment of a door lock assembly.

FIG. 1B depicts an embodiment of a door lock assembly.

FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of one embodiment of a door lockassembly.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a key cylinder and a driver.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 6 shows one example of movement of a back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 7 shows one example of movement of a back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 8 shows one example of movement of a back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 9 shows one example of movement of a back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 10 depicts an embodiment of a bolt and housing.

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict views of a housing.

FIG. 12 depicts an embodiment of a lock cylinder.

FIGS. 13A and 13B depict embodiments of a cam and housing in a lefthanded door and a right handed door.

FIGS. 14A and 14B depict embodiments of a cam and housing in a lefthanded door and a right handed door.

FIGS. 15A and 15B depicts embodiments of a cam and a housing.

FIG. 15C depicts an embodiments of a cam.

FIG. 16 depicts an embodiment of a motor, transmission, and drivercoupler useful within the back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 17 depicts an embodiment of a motor, transmission, and drivercoupler useful within the back side manipulator portion.

FIGS. 18A and 18B depict an embodiment of a motor, transmission, anddriver coupler useful within the back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 19 depicts an embodiment of a motor, transmission, driver coupler,and worm gear that can be used within the back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 20 depicts an embodiment of a motor, transmission, driver coupler,and worm gear that can be used within the back side manipulator portion.

FIG. 21 depicts an embodiment of an assembly used in the back sidemanipulator portion.

FIG. 22 depicts an embodiment of an assembly used in the back sidemanipulator portion.

FIG. 23 depicts another embodiment of a motor and transmission.

FIG. 24 depicts another embodiment of a motor and transmission.

FIG. 25 illustrates exemplary position sensing components of anelectromechanical lock.

FIG. 26 illustrates an exemplary position sensing encoder of anelectromechanical lock.

FIG. 27 illustrates additional exemplary position sensing components ofan electromechanical lock.

FIG. 28 illustrates an additional exemplary position sensing encoder ofan electromechanical lock

FIG. 29 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of certain electronics ofa remotely operable electromechanical lock.

FIG. 30 illustrates an additional exemplary block diagram of certainelectronics of a remotely operable electromechanical lock.

FIG. 31 illustrates a further exemplary circuit schematic for certainelectronics of a remotely operable electromechanical lock.

FIG. 32 is flow diagram according to an exemplary autohanding process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated inthe drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modificationsin the described embodiments, and any further applications of theprinciples of the invention as described herein are contemplated aswould normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates.

With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, front and back side views are shownof a door 50 having a door lock assembly 52 useful to secure the door toa door jamb or other suitable fixed structure. The door 50 can be anyvariety of doors used in residential, business, etc. applications thatcan be used to close off passageways, rooms, access areas, etc. The doorlock assembly 52 shown in the illustrated embodiments includes a bolt 54that can move in to and out of the door jamb when securing the door 50.The bolt can move from a retracted position to an extended position andcan include a dead position in which, for example, the bolt resistsbeing retracted when tampered through force applied to the bolt. Thebolt can be moved based upon a force imparted through any one or acombination of a motor internal to the door lock assembly 52, a key 56,and a user device 58 depicted in the illustrated embodiment as athumbturn. The figure also depicts the strike, strike reinforce, andfasteners useful in securing the strike and strike reinforce to the doorjamb. Further features of the bolt and its actuation will be describedfurther below.

FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of the door lock assembly 52 whichincludes a front side keyed portion 60, back side manipulator portion62, and bolt portion 64. The front side keyed portion 60 of theillustrated embodiment includes a key cylinder (shown further below inFIG. 3) having a keyhole used to receive a key 56 which can be used tomanipulate the bolt 54 to secure the door 50. The front side keyedportion 60 can alternatively and/or additionally include a numeric pad(shown in the illustrated embodiment) that can be used to engage a motorto drive the bolt 54 if provided an appropriate pass code.

The back side manipulator portion 62 of the illustrated embodimentincludes a backer plate 66 that can be secured to the door 50 andstructured to receive a powered module 68 also useful in manipulatingthe bolt 54. The backer plate 66 can be affixed to the door 50 using anyvariety of techniques. In some embodiments the backer plate 66 may notbe needed to affix the back side manipulator portion 62 to the door. Thepowered module 68 can include an energy source for the back sidemanipulator portion 62, an appropriate motor for activating the bolt,associated electronic controls useful in activating the bolt, etc. whichwill be discussed in more detail further below.

The front side keyed portion 60 and the back side manipulator portion 62can be in communication with each other using a variety of mechanisms.Though not depicted, in some embodiments a cabling can be used toconnect the front side keyed portion 60 to the back side manipulatorportion 62 such that drive signals useful to extend or retract the boltcan be transmitted. For example, in those embodiments having anelectronic keypad, the cable can be used to provide power to the keypadfrom a battery device stored in the back side manipulator portion 62and/or convey a signal, such as an actuation signal for the motor, fromthe front side to the back side. Other types of credentialingtechnologies can also be used in lieu of, or in addition to, the keypadsuch as but not limited to I button, Body Comm, Smart card, etc. Not allembodiments need include the cabling depicted. The cabling can includeone or more conductors to convey power, data signals, etc. In addition,a driver (shown below in FIG. 3) can be coupled with both the front sideand back side to receive a force from any of the key 56, the user device58, or the motor associated with the door lock assembly 52 to activatethe bolt 54. The driver can take a variety of forms, one embodiment ofwhich is shown below in FIG. 3.

The bolt portion 64 of the illustrated embodiment includes a housing forenclosing the bolt 54 and can include a bolt driving mechanism(discussed further below in FIG. 10) interposed between the bolt 54 andthe driver such that when the driver imparts a force the bolt drivingmechanism is moved which consequently imparts a motion to the bolt 54.As will be appreciated given the discussion above, a force can betransmitted via the driver to the bolt driving mechanism of the boltportion 64 whether through a turn of the key 56 or an actuation of oneor more features of the back side manipulator portion 62, or anycombination thereof. Further details of the bolt portion 64 are alsodiscussed further below.

Turning now to FIG. 3, one embodiment of a lock cylinder 70 is shownwhich can be used in the front side keyed portion 60. The lock cylinder70 can include any number of conditional features that when met permitthe lock to actuate a driver 72 that, as discussed above, can be used totransmit a force to the bolt portion 64 via the bolt driving mechanism.Though the driver 72 is shown as an attached component of the lockcylinder 70 in the illustrated embodiment, not all embodiments need toinclude a similar construction. For example, in some forms the driver 72can be attached to a portion of the back side manipulator portion 62 tobe received with the lock cylinder 70 upon installation with a door 50.No limitation of how the driver 72 is installed, coupled, fastened, etc.is intended herein.

The driver 72 can take a variety of shapes and configurations. In theillustrated embodiment the driver 72 is depicted as an elongate memberhaving a rectangular cross section, but other embodiments can includedifferent shapes than those depicted. The driver 72 can take the form ofa tailpiece, drivebar, etc. In some embodiments the driver 72 caninclude a locating feature 74 which can be used with other aspects ofthe door lock assembly 52 to ensure a consistent orientation of thedriver 72 during installation. The locating feature 74 can be alocalized feature such as a bump, ridge, protrusion, depression, etcthat is located in one area, along a periphery, etc of the driver 72.For example, the locating feature 74 of the illustrated embodiment islocated on a side near a distal end of the illustrated driver 72 andtakes the form of a raised edge. The locating feature 74, however, canbe situated at any variety of locations other than that depicted in theillustrated embodiment. In many embodiments the locating feature 74 willrequire a corresponding device to which the driver 72 is attached toalso have a similar arrangement such that the corresponding device iscoupled with the driver 72 in only one way. The locating feature can beformed in the driver 72 using any number of techniques such as stamping,forging, crimping, bending, and snipping, to set forth just a fewnon-limiting examples. Further description of the locating feature 74and how it is relates to other aspects of the door lock assembly 52 aredescribed below in FIGS. 10-15B.

FIG. 4 depicts an exploded view of some of the components of the backside manipulator portion 62. Shown in the figure are a baseplate 76,power module 78, motor 80, transmission 82, driver coupler 84, one ormore wiper contacts 86, and a circuit board 88. In the illustratedembodiment the baseplate 76 provides a chassis upon which the variouscomponents can be integrated prior to being installed on the door 50.The power module 78 includes provisions to retain a supply of power,such as but not limited to batteries. In one embodiment the power module78 is a holder that can be snapped into place with the baseplate 76 andthat includes provisions to receive any number and types of batteries,such as but not limited to size AA batteries. Four AA size batteries arecontemplated in one application.

The motor 80 receives power via a cable 90 directly from the powermodule 78, but in other embodiments can be configured to receive powervia the circuit board 88. In one embodiment the motor 80 is a permanentmagnet direct current (PMDC) motor available from Johnson Electric, 10Progress Drive, Shelton Conn., model NF243G, but the motor 80 can take awide variety of other forms useful to convert power provided by thepower module 78 to mechanical output that can be used to actuate thedriver 72. In one non-limiting embodiment the motor 80 can consume about3 W of power, spin an output shaft at between 10,000 rpm and 15,000 rpm,and produce torque between about 4 and 30 mNm. The torque and high spinrate can be conveyed through the transmission 82 to the driver coupler84 to produce adequate torque and rotation rate to actuate the bolt 54.

The transmission 82 can include any number of gears, shafts, and otherappropriate devices used to transmit power between the motor 80 and thedriver coupler 84. More or fewer devices than those depicted in theillustrated embodiment can be used in the transmission 82. Thetransmission 82 can include a pinion gear 92 coupled to an output shaftof the motor 80 which forms the introduction of power to drive a maingear 98. In some embodiments, like the one shown in FIG. 4, a face gear94 is used and configured to receive torque from the pinion gear 92which is transmitted via an intermediate gear set 96 to the main gear98. In some embodiments power, and resultant movement of thetransmission, can be transmitted in both directions: from the motor 80to the main gear 98; and from the main gear 98 to the motor 80, madepossible by the arrangement of the various gears as will be readilyunderstood. In one form the pinion gear 92 takes the form of a bevelgear, but other gear configurations are also contemplated herein.

The driver coupler 84 includes a provision which permits it to bemovingly connected with the driver 72 such that operation by one or moreof the key 56, user device 58, or the motor 80 causes the driver 72 tochange positions and actuate the bolt 54. In one form the driver 72 isconfigured to extend into an opening of the driver coupler 84 and as aresult in some embodiments the opening can have a similar contour as thedriver 72, including those embodiments having the locating feature 74.On embodiment of the opening in the driver coupler 84 is shown as acenter opening feature in the illustrated figure.

The wiper contacts 86 are discussed more fully below but in general areattached, at least one each, to the main gear 98 and the driver coupler84. The wiper contacts 86 interact with corresponding traces formed inthe circuit board 88 and can be used to detect position of either orboth the main gear 98 and driver coupler 84. In some forms the circuitboard 88 can be configured to process information regarding the state ofthe bolt 54, such as whether extended or retracted, based upon positionof the main gear 98 and driver coupler 84. Further details of thisaspect of the application are described further below.

FIG. 5 depicts an installed portion of the back side manipulator portion62, in particular an installed depiction of the motor 80, pinion gear92, main gear 98, and intermediate gears 96. Of note in this depiction,one of the intermediate gears 96 shown in FIG. 4 is mounted to the sameshaft as another of the intermediate gears 96 and is thus hidden fromview. During operation of the motor 80 in the illustrated embodiment,power flows through the pinion 92, to the face gear 94, to the hiddenintermediate gear 96, to the intermediate gear shown on the right of thefigure, the intermediate gear shown in the center of the figure, andfinally to the main gear 98.

The main gear 98 can interact with the driver coupler 84 to place thedriver 72 in an orientation to either extend or retract the bolt 54. Ofnote in the illustrated embodiment, the driver coupler 84 includes acenter opening 85 into which can be received the driver 72. The centeropening 85 can have a shape complementary to the driver 72 to receivethe locating feature 74, and in some embodiments the center opening 85can be structured to receive an intermediate device, such as for examplea bushing, that itself receives the driver 72. Various embodiments ofthe center opening which is used to interact with the driver 72 areshown in FIGS. 16, 19, and 20-22. The various embodiments can have anyof the variations contemplated herein.

As shown in FIGS. 6-9, an operation is depicted in which the main gear98 is used to move the driver coupler 84 between positions thatcorrespond to a retracted bolt position and an extended bolt position.The main gear 98 of the illustrated embodiment includes a pocket 100 inwhich is received the driver coupler 84 and includes an abutment surface102 and an abutment surface 104 which are both used at various stages ofoperation to interact with and urge movement of the driver coupler 84.The pocket 100 can be configured to a variety of depths of the main gear98. Starting at FIG. 6, the driver coupler 84 is in a position thatcorresponds to a retracted bolt 54, and the abutment surface 102 is setback from the driver coupler 84. Though the illustrated embodimentdepicts set back, not all embodiments need include such a space. FIG. 7corresponds to an activation of the motor 80 in which the main gear 98,and corresponding abutment surface 102, engage the driver coupler 84 tocause movement thereto. The arrow in the figure depicts the direction ofmovement. FIG. 8 shows further motor 80 movement as the driver coupler84 is moved to a position that corresponds to a bolt extended position.At this point, and as depicted in FIG. 9, the motor 80 reverses itselfand returns the main gear, and corresponding abutment surface 102, toits original starting position. Note that the motion depicted in FIG. 9of the main gear 98 as it is returned to its original starting positionoccurs without or with very little corresponding movement of the drivercoupler 84. Notice also that in the orientation shown in FIG. 9 theabutment surface 104 is set back from the driver coupler 84. Though theillustrated embodiment depicts set back, not all embodiments needinclude such a space. Furthermore, the set back associated with theabutment surface 104 and the set back associated with the abutmentsurface 102 need not be the same.

When the bolt is desired to be returned to a retracted position, themotor 80 can be used to drive the main gear 98, and the abutment surface104, to engage the driver coupler 84 in the opposite direction Similarprogression of events occur to place the driver coupler 84 in a positionthat corresponds to a retracted bolt position. When accomplished themotor 80 is reversed to return the main gear 98 to its original startingposition. In this way the main gear has a wide range of motion that doesnot affect to a substantial degree movement of the driver coupler 84.The type relative movement described above is sometimes referred to aslost motion given that the main gear 98 has a wide degree of motion thatdoes not translate to the driver coupler 84. Though the lost motion isshown relative to the main gear 98 and the driver coupler 84, othermechanisms can be implemented in the door lock assembly 52 to providefor lost motion similar to that described above. In some embodiments,FIG. 6 can correspond to an extended bolt position, while FIG. 9corresponds to a retracted bolt position.

Though the illustrated embodiment depicts a pocket 100, not allembodiment need to have a similar construction. To set forth just onenon-limiting example, some embodiments may include a non-circular maingear shaped as a crescent in which the driver coupler 84 is situated inthe space unoccupied by the crescent. Other shapes and configurationsare also contemplated to provide for a lost motion in a mechanismconnected to the motor and moveable by the motor, and a mechanismconnected to the driver 72 and moveable by the driver.

Some embodiments of the instant application also provide for the abilityto operate the bolt 54 manually without aid of, or in spite of, theautomatic features associate with driven operation by virtue of themotor 80. For example, it may be desired to manually use a key, or theuser device 58, to operate the bolt 54 without aid of the motor 80. Suchoperation may readily occur in many situations when the main gear 98 isplaced in its position described above with regard to FIGS. 7 and 9. Thelost motion provided by the relative orientations of the main gear 98and the driver coupler 84 permit the driver coupler 84 to be moved byeither key or user device between the retracted and extend boltpositions. It may also be necessary in some situations to operate thebolt 54 manually when the door lock assembly 52 is operating in anon-standard mode. Such a non-standard mode can correspond to aninability to drive the driver 72 through action of the motor 80, such ascan occur as a result of a failure of the motor 80, a controller coupledwith the motor 80, an energy source used to drive the motor 80, etc.Such an inability can also result from failure/degradation of amechanical device interposed between the motor 80 and the driver 72,such as a gear. The driver 72 can fail at any position between andincluding positions corresponding to bolt extended and bolt retractedorientations.

In one such non-standard mode the main gear 98 can be positioned at thebolt retracted position when a failure/degradation occurs such that themotor 80 is unable to further drive the driver coupler 84 through themain gear 98. In this situation the main gear 98 is positioned outsideof a range of motion of the driver coupler 84 making manual adjustmentof the bolt position readily available.

In another non-standard mode the main gear 98 can be positioned at thebolt extended position when a failure/degradation occur such that themotor 80 is unable to further drive the driver coupler 84 through themain gear 98. In this situation the main gear 98 is positioned outsideof a range of motion of the driver coupler 84 making manual adjustmentof the bolt position readily available.

In yet another non-standard mode the main gear 98 can be positionedbetween the bolt retracted position and bolt extended position when afailure/degradation occur such that the motor 80 is unable to furtherdrive the driver coupler 84 through the main gear 98. Such a situationcould occur, for example, via failure of the powered module 68 or of themotor 80. In this situation the main gear 98 can be positioned such thatmovement of the driver coupler 84 to complete a movement of the bolt 54cannot be accomplished without corresponding movement of the main gear98. In those embodiments above in which the motor 80 is interconnectedto the main gear 98 via appropriate backdriving arrangement, the drivercoupler 84 can impart sufficient torque to overcome the failed motor andreverse the interconnected mechanisms from a relative driving configuredto a relative driven configuration. Embodiments of such an arrangementwere discussed above.

Turning now to FIG. 10, one embodiment of the bolt portion 64 isdisclosed which includes housing 106, a cam 108 configured to bereceived in the housing 106, and a spring 110 used to retain the cam 108within the housing 106 and provide a force when the cam is displacedbetween a bolt retracted position and a bolt extended position. Thehousing 106 of the illustrated embodiment includes an inner bolt housing112 and a cam housing 114 which are coupled together via a telescopingaction shown by the pathway 116. A guide pin associated with the innerbolt housing 112 can extend into the pathway 116 and allow for therotation and translation of the housing 112 relative to the housing 114.Such ability to have a telescoping feature allows the bolt portion 64flexibility in use in various applications, including residential,commercial, etc that may have varying installation requirements.

The cam 108 is configured in the illustrated embodiment to be receivedin an opening 118 of the housing 106 prior to installation of the spring110 to close off the bottom of the opening 118 in the housing 106. Theopening 118 depicted on the side of the housing 106 can have asemi-circular shape formed in its side and that near the bottom of theopening can include a passage narrower than a diameter of thesemi-circular shape. More details regarding the opening 118 will bediscussed further below.

The cam 108 includes an extension 120 that can be engaged with anaperture 122 associated with the bolt 54, though other suitablestructure of the bolt 54 can also be used to engage the extension 120 tothe bolt. The cam 108 also includes an opening 124 into which isreceived the driver 72. The cam 108 is rotated when the driver 72 isactuated by any of the key 56, user device 58, and the motor 80. Thoughthe cam 108 of the illustrated embodiment includes an opening to receivethe driver 72, some embodiments can include other suitable surfaces thatcan be engaged with the driver 72. When the cam 108 is rotated withinthe housing the extension 120 subsequently reacts with the aperture 122to extend or retract the bolt relative to the housing 106. The cam 108can include a bottom surface 126 that is non-circular relative to anaxis of rotation of the cam 108 such that the cam 108 follows anelliptical path and urges against the spring 110 which provides anopposing force when the cam 108 is rotated. A top surface 130 of the cam108 engages an interior top portion of the housing 106 during rotationto constrain movement. In one form the bottom surface 126 includes oneor more flat surfaces that can be connected via a rounded corner, to setforth just one non-limiting example.

In one embodiment the cam 108 also includes one or more features 128 onone or more portions of the cam 108 which are used to interact with anddetermine the orientation of the cam when it is received within thehousing 106. The feature(s) 128 of the cam 108 are also arrangedrelative to the opening 124 to provide a unique combination of the two,a combination that also provides a certain arrangement of the opening124 relative to the housing 106 by virtue of the arrangement of the cam108 to the housing 106. In some embodiments the features 128 can befound on one or both lateral sides of the cam 108, as is depicted in theillustrated embodiment, but other locations are also contemplatedherein. In some forms the features 128 are physical portions that areraised with respect to other portions of the cam 108. In otheradditional and/or alternative embodiments the features take the form ofvarious shapes and sizes that can cooperate with one or more portions ofthe housing 106 so to provide a consistent orientation of the cam 108,and by extension the opening 124 of the cam 108, relative to the housing106. Referring now to FIGS. 11A and 11B, and with continuing referenceto FIG. 10, side views are shown of one embodiment of the bolt portion64 which depicts corresponding structure of the housing 106 that areused to interact with the feature(s) 128 of the cam 108. In FIG. 10 thecorresponding structure of the housing 106 takes the form of opposingopenings 118 which have been designated as 118 a and 118 b for ease ofreference to distinguish one embodiment of the housing 106. Though theopenings 118 a and 118 b are used to interact with the feature(s) 128,the corresponding structure in the housing 106 can take forms other thanopenings to ensure consistent orientation of the cam 108 duringinstallation.

The openings 118 a and 118 b of the illustrated embodiment differ incertain respects from each other to assist in locating an appropriateorientation of the cam 108. The opening 118 a is shown as asemi-circular opening that includes a bottom portion narrower than adiameter of the semi-circle, and in particular is shown in theillustrated embodiment as 0.290 inches. The opening 118 b is also shownas semi-circular but includes a bottom portion that is closer to adiameter of its associated semi-circular opening portion than theopening 118 b. The bottom of the opening 118 b is shown in theillustrated embodiment as 0.360 inches. In certain embodiments thefeature(s) 128 of the cam 108 permit a single installation orientationof the cam 108 to the housing 106, and by extension only a singleinstallation orientation of the opening 124 relative to the housing 106.If another installation orientation of the cam 108 is attempted, thefeature(s) 128 interfere with the housing 106, and in some embodimentsthe openings 118 a and 118 b, to prohibit such an installationorientation. In this way errors in the installation orientation of thecam 108 are mitigated.

The extension 120 of the cam 108 is shown as extending through thehousing 106. In this position of the extension 120 the orientation ofthe opening 124 is shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B as extending along a linethat that is approximately 45 degrees. As the cam 108 is rotated suchthat the extension 120 is pointed toward the bolt 54, the opening 124will be rotated to the vertical position in the illustrated embodiment.As the cam 108 is rotated such that the extension 120 is pointed awayfrom the bolt 54, the opening will be rotated to a horizontal position,again in the illustrated embodiment. Were it not for one or morefeatures of various embodiments described above, the relationship of theorientation of the opening 124 to the housing 106 may not be assuredacross all assembly operations of the bolt portion 64.

The spring 110 is used to provide a force to urge the cam toward one orboth of the extended positions or retracted positions. The spring 110includes lips 132 that are used to engage the housing 106 to form a leafspring against which the bottom surface 126 of the cam 108 is urged whenthe cam 108 is rotated by action of the driver 72.

Turning now to FIG. 12, an embodiment of the lock cylinder 70 and driver72 are shown. The driver 72 includes an embodiment of the locatingfeature 74 in the form of a raised dimple positioned toward a middlepoint near an end of the driver 72. The lock cylinder 70 is also coupledwith a plug 134 which can be used to retain the driver 72 with the lockcylinder 70. The plug 134 can be coupled with the lock cylinder 70 usingany variety of techniques such as through a press fit, coupled via screwthreads, fastened using a rivet, nail, screw, etc. to set forth just afew examples. The plug 134 can include features (not shown) that ensurea consistent orientation of the plug 134 with the lock cylinder 70 frominstallation to installation.

The coupled assembly also includes a post 136 oriented to interfere witha movement of the driver 72. In one form the post 136 preventsover-rotation of the driver 72 such that a horizontal position of thedriver 72 always results in a certain configuration of the locatingfeature 74 relative to a housing of the lock cylinder 70 and/or the cam108. In the illustrated embodiment the interactive operation of the post136 and driver 72 requires that driver 72 be rotated to place thelocating feature 74 on the top of the driver 72 when the driver 72 is inthe horizontal position. In other words, the post 136 is so situated asto prevent the locating feature 74 to be located on the bottom of thedriver 72 when the driver 72 is in the horizontal position owing to theinterfering nature of the post 136. Other embodiments can permit thelocating feature 74 to be placed in other locations while the driver 72is in the horizontal position. The post 136 can take a variety of formsand be placed at a variety of locations. In one non-limiting embodimentthe post 136 extends into a path of the driver 72, or a structurecoupled to the driver, to block motion of the driver 72. Thus, in oneform the post 136 permits the driver 72 from traversing approximately180 degree rotation before the post 136 interferes with further movementof the driver 72. In some applications the post 136 can be locatedinternal to the plug 134. The post 136 can take a variety of shapes andsizes and in some forms multiple posts 136 can be used.

Turning now to FIGS. 13A and 13B, two depictions are shown of the cam108 installed in a housing 106 and in a position in which the bolt 54 isin a retracted orientation. FIG. 13A depicts a left handed door, andFIG. 13B depicts a right handed door. Each of the orientations depictthe driver 72 in a horizontal position with its locating feature 74 ontop, and the extension 120 of the cam 108 pointed away from the bolt 54.The locating feature 74 is received into an adequate opening in the cam108, such as the formation 138 shown in FIG. 15C. The formation 138 cantake any variety of shapes sufficient to accept various configurationsof the locating feature 74. The formation 138 can be complementary inshape and size, and in some embodiments can be other shapes and sizessufficient to receive the locating feature 74.

FIGS. 14A and 14B depicts a position of the cam 108 installed in ahousing 106 and in a position in which the bolt 54 is in an extendedorientation. FIG. 14A depicts a left handed door, and FIG. 14B depicts aright handed door. Each of the orientations depict the driver 72 in avertical position with its locating feature 74 toward the bolt 54, andthe extension 120 of the cam 108 also pointed toward the bolt 54.

FIGS. 15A and 15B depict the cam 108 installed within the housing 106prior to receipt of the driver 72. FIG. 15A depicts the bolt 54 in theretracted position, and FIG. 15B depicts the bolt 54 in the extendedposition.

Turning now to FIGS. 16, 17, 18A, and 18B, another embodiment of a motor80, transmission 82, and driver coupler 84 is depicted. The motor 80 isconfigured to drive a worm gear 140 which, when rotated, interacts withgear teeth of the main gear 98 causing the main gear 98 to turn. Theembodiment disclosed in FIGS. 16, 17, 18A, and 18B can have a lostmotion relationship between the main gear 98 and the driver coupler 84similar to that disclosed above. FIGS. 17, 18A, and 18B depict anexploded view and a working view of the embodiment of FIG. 16. Theillustrated embodiment includes a spring 142 disposed between arelatively fixed structure 144 and the driver coupler 84 which urges thedriver coupler 84 toward the main gear 98. The spring 142 is depicted asa coil spring in the illustrated embodiment but can take on additionalforms in various other embodiments sufficient to urge the driver coupler84 toward the main gear 98. In some forms the spring 142 could take theform of an elastomeric member, among potential others.

The driver coupler 84 is connected to move with the user device 58(depicted as a thumb turn in the illustrated embodiment) such that whenthe spring urges the driver coupler 84 toward the main gear 98 the userdevice 58 is urged away from the main gear 98 thus creating a space orgap as shown in FIG. 18B. If, during operation, the main gear 98 becomesstuck in a position that interferes with operation of the bolt 54, theuser device 58 can be depressed toward the main gear 98 to disengage thedriver coupler 84 from the main gear 98 thus permitting movement of thedriver coupler 84 and subsequent free movement of the bolt 54.

FIGS. 19-22 depict another embodiment of motor 80, transmission 82,driver coupler 84, and worm gear 140. Another clutch is depicted in thisembodiment which permits the driver coupler 84 to be disengaged from themotor 80, transmission 82, and/or main gear 98 upon failure of thesystem at a location where an override can be useful. The clutchoperates by locating a cam 146 that can be connected to the drivercoupler 84 in a space captured by cam followers 148. The followers 148are connected to move with the main gear 98 and are urged against thecam 146 through use of springs 150. Though not depicted, this embodimentcan include the lost motion capabilities described in variousembodiments above.

When operated the cam followers 148 can be used to capture the cam 146such that rotation of the main gear 98 causes rotation of the cam 146.The cam 146 can be connected to the driver 72 and though the centeraperture of the cam 146 is depicted as square, the center aperture canhave any variety of other shapes and sizes, such as but not limited tothose shapes and sizes suitable for receiving any of the variousembodiments of the driver having the locating feature 74. Duringnon-standard operation, such as for example a failure of the motor 80,the cam 146 can be actuated by a thumb turn or other suitable userdevice to override the cam followers 148 causing compression of thesprings 150 and movement of the cam followers 148 as shown in FIG. 22.It is also possible in some modes of operation to rotate the cam 146within the space between the cam followers 148 as shown in FIG. 21.

FIGS. 23 and 24 depict another embodiment of motor 80 and transmission82. Not shown is a driver coupler 84 but it will be understood that themain gear 98 can be configured according to any of the variations hereinto incorporate the driver coupler 84 and/or cam. A centrifugal clutch152 is included that permits the main gear 98 to be decoupled from themotor 80 so long as the motor is spinning at an insufficient speed toactivate the centrifugal clutch 152. Any variety of gearing arrangementscan be provided in the transmission between the main gear 98 and thecentrifugal clutch 152, and between the centrifugal clutch 152 and themotor 80, other than the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 23 and 24. Thoughnot depicted, this embodiment can include the lost motion capabilitiesdescribed in various embodiments above.

During operation the motor 80 can spin to sufficient speeds to activatethe centrifugal clutch 152 and cause subsequent motion in the main gear98 to move the driver coupler 84 and as a result the bolt 54. If afailure or degraded performance occurs and the motor is unable to spinto sufficient speeds to activate the centrifugal clutch 152, the driver72 can be actuated using any of the key 56 and/or user device 58 to movethe bolt 54, which in the illustrated embodiment also results inmovement of the main gear 98. The main gear 98, however, is decoupledfrom the motor 80 by virtue of the ineffective operation of thecentrifugal clutch 152, and is thus allowed to rotate with little impactfrom the failure and/or degradation.

Given the description above, various aspects of the application, eitherindividually or in a variety of combinations, can be used to ensureconsistent relative orientation of the driver 72, cam 108, housing 106,driver coupler 84, user device 58, and lock cylinder 70. The instantapplication discloses features at the respective interfaces ofcomponents such as the tail piece, bolt housing, and bolt cam that canbe used with any or all of these such that the entire assembly isarranged consistently over all manufacturing and/or installationoperations. Such features disclosed herein can be used to mistake-proofmanufacturing and/or installation, an approach which is sometimesreferred to as “poka-yoke”.

With reference to FIG. 25 there are illustrated exemplary positionsensing components 601 and 602 of an electromechanical lock. Components601 include main gear 610, cam 620, and wiper contacts 605 and 606. Maingear 610 and cam 620 may be of the type illustrated and described aboveand are rotatable relative to printed circuit board (“PCB”) 630 about asubstantially common central axis. Wiper contacts 605 are coupled withcam 620 and rotatable therewith. Wiper contacts 606 are coupled withmain gear 610 and rotatable therewith. Components 602 include PCB 630,and conductive traces 631 provided on PCB 630. It shall be appreciatedthat additional and alternate components may also be involved inposition sensing in various embodiments.

Conductive traces 631 may be formed of various conductive materialsusing a number of techniques. In certain forms conductive traces 631 aregold or a gold alloy and can be provided using several differenttechniques. One exemplary technique is immersion gold plating which is achemical deposition process for placing gold on PCB 630. Anotherexemplary production technique is flash plating. A third exemplaryproduction technique is electroplating. Certain exemplary embodimentsuse carbon ink to provide conductive traces 631. A preferred carbon inkincludes 21.7 percent phenolic resin, 18.5 percent epoxy resin modified,15.8 percent carbitol acetate, 11.1 percent napbon, 30.6 percent carbonpowder and 2.3 percent defoamer. Carbon ink may be applied to PCB 630using jet printing or other techniques.

FIG. 25 illustrates components 601 and 602 in a separated configuration.When assembled in an electromechanical lock, conductive traces 631 areprovided on the surface of PCB 630 facing main gear 610 and cam 620.Wiper contacts 605 and 606 are coupled to main gear 610 and cam 620,respectively, and are positioned facing PCB 630 and conductive traces631. In an assembled configuration, wiper contacts 605 and 606 may comeinto contact with various different conductive traces depending upon therotational positioning of main gear 610 and cam 620 relative to PCB 630.

With reference to FIG. 26 there is illustrated an exemplary subset ofconductive traces 631 which are utilized in position sensing inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments. The view of FIG. 26 is ofthe back side of conductive traces 631 which is the side that contactsthe PCB as this view depicts left and right hand encoder features on theleft and rights sides of FIG. 26, respectively, rather than the reverse.Conductive traces 640-649 and 650-653 may be provided on a PCB such asPCB 630 in electrical communication with electronics provided on thePCB. When wiper contacts 605 come into contact with two or more ofconductive traces 640-648, a closed circuit is provided therebetween.When wiper contacts 606 come into contact with two or more of conductivetraces 650-653 a closed circuit is provided therebetween. Theelectronics provided on PCB 630 perform electrical interrogation orpolling of conductive traces 640-648 and 650-653 to identify open andclosed circuits conditions of the various circuits defined therebetween.The open and closed circuit information may in turn be utilized todetermine the position of a locking mechanism such as a deadbolt towhich cam 620 is drivingly coupled, whether the mechanism was lastactuated mechanically or electronically, and to provide auto-handingfunctionality for set up and configuration of electromechanical locksamong other functionalities.

The exemplary encoder 639 illustrated in FIG. 26 comprises a subset ofconductive traces 631 which can be utilized to provide a deadboltposition sensing mechanism for an electronic door locking mechanism,such as a deadbolt, which has the capability to be extended andretracted automatically by an electric motor integrated into the lock.The lock user also has the capability of utilizing an auto throwdeadbolt feature both locally at the lock and remotely through internetconnectivity as well as the option of manually extending and retractingthe deadbolt from the inside of the door with a turn knob, and/oroutside the door with a key. Exemplary systems may utilize encoder 639to provide locked position sensing, unlocked position sensing, as wellas autohanding of the lock upon installation. Such systems may utilizeencoder 639 in connection with providing real time deadbolt positionsensing and reporting capabilities, and reporting successful andunsuccessful deadbolt extension or retraction no matter the method usedto change the state of the deadbolt (electronically or manually).Encoder 639 can also be utilized to determine whether the door lock waslast actuated manually or electronically.

Locked position sensing may be performed using the subset of conductivetraces 631 illustrated in FIG. 26 which are operatively coupled to pinsof a microcontroller. Conductive traces 642, 645 and 648 are connectedto voltage supply pin Vdd. Conductive trace 644 is connected toinput/output pin IO1. Conductive trace 641 is connected to input/outputpin IO3. Conductive trace 647 is connected to input/output pin IO2.Conductive trace 646 is connected to interrupt pin Int1. Conductivetrace 640 is connected to interrupt pin Int1. Conductive trace 643 isconnected to interrupt pin Int1. Conductive trace 650 is connected toinput pin IN1. Conductive trace 651 is connected to input/output pinIO4. Conductive trace 652 is connected to input pin IN2. Conductivetrace 653 is connected to input/output pin IO5. Table 1 below lists theforegoing exemplary conductive traces and corresponding microcontrollerpins for encoder 639.

TABLE 1 Conductive Trace No. Microcontroller Pin 640 Int2 641 IO3 642Vdd 643 Int1 644 IO1 645 Vdd 646 Int3 647 IO2 648 Vdd 650 IN1 651 IO4652 IN2 653 IO5

In some exemplary embodiments, conductive traces 642, 645 and 648 areconnected to Vdd, conductive traces 653 and 651 are connected to aselected input pin of a microcontroller (thus making IO4 and IO5 acommon pin), conductive traces 643 and 646 are connected to a commoninterrupt pin interrupt of the microcontroller (thus making Int1 andInt2 a common pin), conductive trace 640 is connected to anotherinterrupt pin of the microcontroller, and the remaining conductivetraces are connected to selected input pins of a microcontroller. Inother exemplary embodiments three separate output and interrupts pinsare utilized for conductive trace. It shall be understood that thevarious inputs and outputs may be configured such that current is drawnand power consumed only when polling.

Zone 663 of encoder 639 designates a locked left position of a lockingmechanism such as a deadbolt, and zone 668 of encoder 639 designates alocked right position of the locking mechanism. An interrupt routine isutilized in connection with zones 663 and 668 in sensing the lockedposition. When wiper contact 605 is in zone 663 or 668 a circuit isclosed between Vdd and pin Int1, pin Int1 is pulled high, and themicrocontroller can determine that wiper contact 605 is in zone 663 or668 and that the locking mechanism is in the locked position.

There are two sub-zones in the zones 663 or 668 which are distinguishedby the microcontroller using conductive traces 644 and 647 which areconnected to pins IO1 and IO2 respectively. Once the interrupt istriggered and Int1 is shorted to Vdd, the microcontroller will startpolling and looking for a state change from pin IO1 or IO2 calledLOCKED_ZONE. If pin IO1 or IO2 is pulled high, the microcontroller willknow that the wiper contact 605 is in zone 664 or 669 and that deadboltis in the guaranteed >X % extended region where X is a percentageextension defined as to sufficient extension to be considered locked,though not necessarily 100 percent extended or dead locked. If pin IO1or IO2 is pulled low, but the Int1 pin is pulled high, themicrocontroller can determine that the wiper contact 605 is in zone 665or 670 and that the lock is in the greater than a Y % probability thatdeadbolt is in a fully extended zone where Y is a probability that thisstate has been achieved.

The microcontroller may keep polling pins IO1 or IO2 until the state onthat pin has settled out for at least a predetermined time period.Alternatively, a wait and poll after motor movement stops functionalitymay be utilized. The microcontroller will then issue a command tocommunication circuitry (such as a Z-Wave or other transceiver describedin further detail herein below) to update the lock status once the stateon pin IO1 or IO2 is stable. None of the pins pin Int1, IO1, and IO2 arepulled low, the lock is considered to be in a transition or unknownstate (assuming it is not in the unlocked state). While not mandatory inall embodiments, the interrupt pins are utilized to ensure themicrocontroller can pick-up a state change when the deadbolt moves intoa locked zone. In embodiments without interrupt pin functionality, forexample where a generic input/output pin is used, continuous polling isutilized to determine whether an encoder state change has occurred.Unless the wiper contacts 605 is in a steady state for greater than 3ms, a control routine could not guarantee that the interrupt would becaught by the microcontroller. If this had happened, the transition areaon the PCB without any PCB wiper traces would appear the same as thearea where the probability of the deadbolt being extended fully is >Y %.This may be acceptable in certain embodiments, but not in others.

Conductive traces 643/646 and 645/648 may be provided as duplicatecircuits wired in parallel for left and right handed locks,respectively. Only one set of circuits will be used depending on how theuser mounts the lock on their door. In other forms separate circuits maybe used. If the thumb turn is used to operate the lock, the user willget real time feedback of their locked status. If the motor is used tochange the lock state, it will be possible to sense motor current andwait for the motor to reach a stall state. At this point, power will beremoved from the motor and the lock will read the locked position inreal time and report this back to the customer or to a security serviceprovider. The motor will then be driven in the opposite direction toreturn the main gear to the home position. In embodiments which utilizea lost motion electromechanical system, such as those described herein,return to the home position can facilitate manual lock actuation whileavoiding or minimizing back driving a gear train and/or motor.

Unlocked position sensing may be performed using encoder 639. Forunlocked position sensing, there is a need to differentiate betweenunlocked left and unlocked right. Due to tolerance stack-ups for theunlocked state there is a certain tolerance range. In certainembodiments the tolerance range was determined to be 30 degrees; i.e.,the deadbolt cam should end up between 0 and 30 degrees from verticalfor the deadbolt to be considered unlocked. The lock will reportsuccessful unlock anywhere in this range. It is possible that thedeadbolt could still be partially extended into the door and the lockwould report a successful unlock. However, this is unlikely because ofthe spring back action of the deadbolt. Use of a tapered deadbolt canfurther mitigate this possibility. Due to the taper, as the deadboltretracts, the side load force from the door on the deadbolt is reduced.It shall be appreciated that the ranges disclosed herein are exemplaryand that other embodiments may have unlocked regions that are defined bydifferent ranges.

Schematically, the implementation of sensing the unlocked state issimilar to that of the locked state. The lock needs to be able todifferentiate 2 regions within an unlocked zone to know if the lock hasdriven the deadbolt far enough back into the door to report a successfulunlock. If the lock is left handed, it will pass by the right handedunlocked zone 666 before reaching the correct left handed unlocked zone669 and it will need to be able to tell the difference between thesezones. An interrupt routine is utilized to accomplish this sensing.Conductive trace 640 is connected to pin Int2. Conductive trace 642 isconnected to voltage supply Vdd. As conductive trace 640 is shorted toconductive trace 642 by wiper contacts 605, the interrupt will edgetrigger and change states. This will tell the lock that it is in theunlocked zone.

There are two distinct states in each of unlocked zones 666 and 667 thatare differentiated using conductive trace 641. After an interrupt istriggered through closed circuit between conductive traces 640 and 642,the microcontroller may poll and look for a state change from pin IO3.In some forms a delay and then poll operation is utilized to ensure thata steady state has been achieved for the polling operation. In someforms the lock controller will wait until it detects a motor stallevent, further wait an additional predetermined interval, and then pollthe encoder to determine its position. If pin IO3 is pulled high and pinInt2 is pulled high, the microcontroller can determine that the deadboltis in the unlocked right handed zone 666. If pin IO3 is pulled low andpin Int2 is pulled high, the microcontroller can determine that the lockis in the unlocked left handed zone 667.

The microcontroller will continue polling pin IO3 once its state hasbeen settled for at least a predetermined time. The microcontroller willthen issue a command to communication circuitry (such as a Z-Wave orother transceiver described in further detail herein below) to updatethe lock status once the state of pin IO3 is stable. For a left handedlock, the wiper contact must make it back to the left handed region fora successful unlock to be reported. For a right handed lock, the wipercontact must make it back to the right handed region for a successfulunlock to be reported. If neither the interrupt pin nor the IO3 pin onthe microcontroller is pulled low, the lock is considered to be in atransition or unknown state (assuming it is not in the locked state). Ifthe thumb turn is used to operate the lock, the user will get real timefeedback of their locked status. If the motor is used to change the lockstate, it will be possible to sense motor current and wait for the motorto reach a stall state. At this point, the rotor returns to the homeposition and a polling while moving operation is performed to detect ahome position signal from zone 661 or 662. Alternatively, in some forms,power will be removed from the motor and the lock will read the lockedposition in real time and report this back to the user. The motor willthen be driven in the opposite direction to return the main gear to thehome position.

Lock autohanding may be performed using encoder 639. In order toaccomplish autohanding, during lock initialization, the lock will lookto see if the IO3 pin is pulled high or low before the motor starts toturn. If the switch starts high and is pulled low, the lock is lefthanded. If the switch starts low and is pulled high as the lock locksthe lock is right handed. This is just one of a number of ways toautomatically determine lock handing. The above routine is suitable forsome applications, however it is susceptible to the possibility thaterror may arise due to the ability of the lock to be unlocked but not inthe proper unlocked right/left zone or the possibility that the lockincorrectly assumes it is starting from a fully open state.

An additional manner of determining lock handing involves sensing aninitial position of a locking mechanism, controlling the motor to applyforce to the locking mechanism in a first direction, monitoring themotor for a stall characteristic, such as a stall current magnitude,upon detection of the stall characteristic, sensing the stall positionof a locking mechanism, and determining whether the electromechanicaldoor lock is installed in the left hand configuration or the right handconfiguration based upon the initial position and the stall position. Ifan unknown region is detected, the lock may reverse direction and repeatthe process until a stall is detected in a known state. This algorithmaccounts for the possibility that the autohanding operation may notcommence with the lock in the fully closed position, and could commencewith the lock in the fully open position or another position whichpresents the possibility of an incorrect handing determination.

Main gear position sensing may be performed using encoder 639. As wipercontact 606 rotates with main gear 610, it may travel into zones 661 and662 and close a circuit that can be used to sense the home position forthe main gear 610. Depending on whether the lock is right handed or lefthanded, either traces 650 and 651, or traces 652 and 653 will beutilized for home position sensing. The circuits of zones 661 and 662will change state only when the main gear is actuated. In certainexemplary embodiments during an electrical lock or unlock event, apolling routine without interrupts may be utilized. A microcontrollerpin IO4 provides a periodic input voltage to conductive trace 651. Amicrocontroller pin IO5 provides an input voltage to conductive trace653. It shall be appreciated that pins IO4 and IO5 may comprise asingle, common pin of a microcontroller. As the circuits of zones 661and 662 will frequently be closed this is preferred to providing aconstant voltage source Vdd that would continuously draw current. Thisis also unnecessary as the main gear typically does not move if notdriven by the motor.

After the bolt reaches its new (locked or unlocked) position, polling isperformed while the main gear is controlled to return to a homeposition. Pins IO4 or IO5 are periodically polled by a microcontrollerduring an electrical unlock. Conductive trace 650 is connected to pinIN1 and conductive trace 652 is connected to pin IN2. Pins IN1 and IN2will be pulled low until the wiper contacts 606 closes the circuit ofzones 661 and 662, respectively, and the microprocessor polls pin IO4 or105 respectively. At this point, the pin IN1 or pin IN2 will be pulledhigh and the microcontroller will know to remove power from the motorbecause the main gear 610 has returned to its home position. It shall beappreciated that the functionalities and connection of traces 650 and651 could be reversed in some embodiments, as could those of traces 652and 653. It shall further be appreciated that a variety of alternate andadditional trace configurations and pin connections can be used in otherembodiments.

The main gear 610 will need to return to its home position after everylock and unlock cycle. This means a control routine provided in acomputer readable memory associated with the microcontroller andexecutable by the microcontroller will have to first drive the deadboltto the commanded state. Once a control routine receives confirmationthat the deadbolt reaches the commanded state, for example by detectinga motor stall indication, a control routine will need to drive the maingear back in the opposite direction until it reaches its home position.Returning the main gear 610 to the home position avoids the possibilityof the user back driving the motor when the deadbolt is operated usingthe thumb turn. It should also be appreciated that certain embodimentsmay utilize an autohanding control routine using this approach insteadof the approach described above.

With reference to FIG. 27 there are illustrated exemplary positionsensing components 700 of an electromechanical lock. Components 700include PCB 730, conductive traces 731 provided on PCB 730, and wipercontacts 750 and 760. While not illustrated in FIG. 27, it shall beappreciated that wiper contacts 750 and 760 may be coupled with a camand a main gear, respectively, and are rotatable therewith relative toconductive traces 731. It shall be further appreciated that additionaland alternate components may also be involved in position sensing invarious embodiments.

With reference to FIG. 28 there is illustrated an exemplary encoder 800that may be utilized in connection with position sensing components suchas those disclosed hereinabove. Encoder 800 may be utilized as analternative to encoder 639 and may be configured relative to otherposition sensing components in a substantially similar manner as thatillustrated in FIG. 25. The alternatives and modifications described inconnection with encoder 700 may also apply to encoder 800 configurationsand vice versa.

Encoder 800 includes conductive traces 801-814 which are in electricalcommunication with various input/output and interrupt pins of amicrocontroller or other control circuitry. Exemplary connections areset forth in Table 2 below, though it shall be understood that a varietyof additional or alternate relationship between conductive traces andcontroller pins may be utilized.

TABLE 2 Conductive Trace No. Controller Pin 801 VDD 802 GPIO RH6 803GPIO RH7 804 GPIO RG0 805 GPIO RG3 806 Interrupt RB4 807 Interrupt RB5808 Interrupt RB5 809 Interrupt RB5 810 Interrupt RB4 811 GPIO RA1 812GND 813 GPIO RF7 814 GND

Encoder 800 utilizes regions 821-829 for position sensing. Conductivetraces 801-814 may come into contact with wiper contacts to definedifferent circuits within regions 821-829. The remaining conductivetraces (not numbered) may be, but need not be connected to otherelectronics but are nevertheless preferably present to promote thewipers staying level when rotating, mitigate potential scraping, andmaintain the wiper contacts at substantially the same degree of contactat various positions.

As a wiper contact rotates due to actuation of lock mechanism, itcontacts different combinations of conductive traces 801-810 andprovides a plurality of different open and closed circuits which encodelock mechanism position information. A wiper contact in region 821establishes a closed circuit between conductive traces 801 and 803. Thisclosed circuit encodes an almost unlocked right state for locks withright handing and a fully unlocked left state for locks with lefthanding.

A wiper contact in region 822 establishes a closed circuit betweenconductive traces 804 and 809. This closed circuit encodes an almostunlocked left position for locks with left handing and a fully unlockedposition for locks with right handing. In this position a left handedlock it is not considered unlocked, while a right handed lock isconsidered unlocked

A wiper contact in region 823 establishes a closed circuit betweenconductive traces 801 and 808. This closed circuit encodes a fullyunlocked position for both locks with left handing and locks with righthanding.

A wiper contact in region 824 establishes a closed circuit betweenconductive traces 801, 805 and 810. This closed circuit encodes analmost locked position for locks with left handing. A wiper contact inregion 825 establishes a closed circuit between conductive traces 801and 810. This closed circuit encodes the dead latched position for lockswith left handing.

A wiper contact in region 826 establishes a closed circuit betweenconductive traces 801, 802 and 806. This closed circuit encodes analmost locked position for locks with right handing. A wiper contact inregion 827 establishes a closed circuit between conductive traces 801and 806. This closed circuit encodes the dead latched position for lockswith right handing.

A wiper contact in region 828 establishes a closed circuit betweenconductive traces 811 and 812. This closed circuit encodes the main gearhome left position. A wiper contact in region 829 establishes a closedcircuit between conductive traces 813 and 814. This closed circuitencodes the main gear home right position.

In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, it shall beappreciated that a number of additional and alternate arrangements andconfigurations of conductive traces may be utilized in variousembodiments. For example, different numbers of conductive traces may bein electrical communication with microcontroller pins, the conductivetraces may span different geometric ranges, provide different numbers ofpotential circuit connections, provide differently defined positionregions, and/or be associated with different defined positions.

With reference to FIG. 32 there is illustrated a flow diagram accordingto an exemplary autohanding process 400. In process 400, autohanding isperformed using encoder 800 and a lost motion electronic-plus-manualactuation configuration such as the examples described herein. Process400 is operable without assuming a known starting position, for example,where a microcontroller has not determined and may not be able todetermine whether the lock is in a locked, unlocked, undefined orintermediate state. Process 400 starts at operation 401 where the lockpowers up and queries encoder 800 to determine its state. Three possiblestate determinations may be made: locked, unlocked and unknown.

Block 402 indicates that a position signal in locked region 824 has beendetected. If this is the case, process 400 proceeds to operation 414where the lock is determined to have left handing since only a lefthanded lock may be positioned in this region. Block 403 indicates that aposition signal in locked region 826 has been detected. If this is thecase, process 400 proceeds to operation 412 where the lock is determinedto have right handing since only a right handed lock may assume thisposition. It shall be appreciated that regions 825 and 827 mayadditionally or alternatively be used to make handing determination asthey are also exclusive to left and right hand configurations,respectively. Limiting the determination process to regions 824 and 826or other less than dead latched regions provides the additional abilityto distinguish motor stall associated with dead latched positioning fromtrue handing determinations.

Block 404 indicates that a position signal in any of unlocked regions821-823 has been detected or that no signal has been detected indicatinga position in an undefined position. In either case, process 400proceeds to operation 440 where the locking mechanism is electricallyactuated while polling for a signal indicating position in either region824 or 826. Actuation continues until a signal indicating that lockingmechanism is in one of regions 824 and 826 is detected or a motor stallindication is sensed.

Block 422 indicates that a position signal in locked region 824 wasdetected and the lock is determined to have left handing since only aleft handed lock could assume this position. Block 423 indicates that aposition signal in locked region 826 was detected and the lock isdetermined to have right handing since only a right handed lock couldassume this position. Block 424 indicates that a motor stall was sensedwithout a signal from either region 824 or 826 being detected. In thiscase the locking mechanism may be rotated in the opposite direction andthe polling process repeated. Alternatively, after one or more stallevent(s), an error state may be determined and an error signal may beprovided to the user.

If the position state is undefined the locking mechanism may need to beactuated several times to determine handing. Thus, if there is anundefined initial state, the lock may defer making an error statedetermination until two or more motor stalls are sensed. The number ofreverse and repeat polling attempts may also be defined to be greaterthan one regardless of the initial state determination. It shall beappreciated that this is preferred for at least the undefined initialposition since there are multiple potential explanations for a motorstall being sensed without a signal from either region 824 or 826 beingdetected, and reverse and repeat polling functionality may reduceuncertainty as to the state causing motor stall and enhance autohandingperformance. Additionally, it may be preferable to run process 400 thiswhile the bolt is unobstructed, for example, with the door open, toensure that any stalls are caused by end of travel and not other issues.

With reference to FIG. 29 there is illustrated exemplary circuitry 900for a remotely operable electromechanical lock. Circuitry 900 includespower supply 901, transceiver 902, receiver 903, position sensing andmotor control circuitry 904, user input circuitry 905, and controller906. Power supply 901 is preferably a battery-based power supply and iscoupled with and supplies electrical power to the other components ofcircuitry 900. Controller 906 is in communication with the othercomponents of circuitry 900 and is operable to send and receiveinformation and control signals therewith.

Transceiver 902 is operable to send and receive radio frequency signalson a specified channel in accordance with a specified communicationprotocol. In one exemplary form, transceiver 902 is configured accordingto the Z-Wave wireless communication standard which operates at about908 MHz and is operable to send and receive Z-Wave compatibletransmissions. It shall be appreciated, however, that additional andalternate communication channels and protocols may also be utilized.

Transceiver 902 is in operative communication with controller 906 and iscontrollable thereby. Controller 906 is operable to receive informationdemodulated by transceiver 902 and to provide information to transceiver902 for modulation and transmission. Decoding of received, demodulatedinformation and encoding of information to be modulated and transmittedmay be performed by any of transceiver 902, controller 906, additionalor alternate circuitry, or combinations thereof. Controller 906 isfurther operable to command transceiver 902 to enter sleep and wakemodes. In wake mode, transceiver 902 is turned on and is operable tosend and receive radio signals in accordance with a specified protocol.In sleep mode, transceiver 902 is substantially turned off, and drawsreduced current and consumes less power from power supply 901 relativeto wake mode. Preferably transceiver 902 draws substantially no currentin sleep mode, for example, only current needed to facilitate and allowsignal detection and transition to a wake mode, though in someembodiments some additional current draw associated with otherfunctionalities may occur in sleep mode.

Receiver 903 is operable to receive the same radio frequency signals onthe same specified channel utilized by transceiver 902. In some formsreceiver 903 is operable to receive and demodulate signals in accordancewith the same specified communication protocol utilized by transceiver902. Receiver 903 is in operative communication with controller 906 andis controllable thereby. Receiver 903 is controlled by controller 906 topoll the specified channel for radio transmissions including one or morespecified characteristics. Upon detection of a signal including the oneor more specified characteristics, receiver 903 is operable to send awake up request to controller 906. In some exemplary embodiments,specified characteristic is a received signal strength indication (RSSI)that is provided to the controller 906 or other processing circuitry forcomparison with a threshold. In some embodiments the RSSI is compared toa threshold by receiver 903 or by receiver 903 in combination with othercircuitry. Controller 906 is operable to receive and process the wake uprequest and send a wake command to transceiver 902. Upon receipt of awake up request, transceiver 902 wakes and is operable to send andreceive radio signals in accordance with a specified protocol.

Receiver 903 is configured to draw lower current and consume less powerduring polling operation than would be drawn or consumed if transceiver902 were utilized to perform a polling operation. Controller 906 mayalso control receiver 903 to suspend its polling or enter a standby modewhen transceiver 902 is awake in order to further mitigate current drainand power consumption. Additionally, controller 906 may itself enter areduced power mode or sleep mode which provides reduced current drainand power consumption relative to full operation while maintaining theability to control receiver 903 to periodically poll for a signal, andreceive a wake up request from receiver 903 or other system components.

Receiver 903 may be provided with a number of signal identificationfunctionalities. In some forms receiver 903 is operable to evaluate RSSIinformation and to send a wake request to controller 906 based upon anevaluation of the RSSI relative to one or more specified criteria, forexample, evaluating signal strength on a specified channel to determinewhen a remote device or system is attempting to communicate withcontroller 906. In additional forms, receiver 903 is operable toevaluate information encoded by a received signal. The encodedinformation may include, for example, a transmission type identifier, adevice ID, a key or credential, other types of identifying information,or combinations thereof. In certain forms the receiver is operable todetect a Z-Wave preamble and has the capacity to distinguish between atrue Z-Wave signal and other signals that may be present in the Z-Wavecommunication band based upon detection of a Z-Wave preamble. Thisfunctionality may reduce the number of false wake up requests generatedby the receiver 903.

In some forms receiver 903 is operable to detect a Z-Wave device ID andevaluate whether the Z-Wave communication is meant for controller 906 oranother Z-Wave device. This may also mitigate the false wake up requestsby receiver 903 due to other Z-Wave devices communicating on the samechannel or network. In some forms receiver 903 is operable to receive abeam from one or more nodes of a dynamically configurable wirelessnetwork. Z-Wave networks are one example of a dynamically configurablewireless network. Z-Wave networks are mesh networks wherein each node ordevice on the network is operable to send and receive signals includingcontrol commands. When one device in a Z-Wave network wants tocommunicate with another, it transmits a signal though a network pathwaythat may include a plurality of nodes through which the signal isrelayed to its intended recipient node. Utilization of intermediatenodes facilitates transmission of signals around transmission obstaclessuch as interfering structures or devices and radio dead spots. A mastercontroller node may be used to dynamically control or optimize thetransmission pathway to be utilized by other nodes to communicate withone another. The master controller may send a beam and receive aresponse and use this information to evaluate or optimize variousnetwork transmission pathways. A Z-Wave beam is a periodicallytransmitted sequence of bits that repeat for a predetermined duration.Certain bits in the repeating sequence includes a preamble to identifythe transmission type as a Z-Wave transmission. Additional bits and anadditional component that identifies node ID of the intended recipientmay also be present in some forms. It shall be appreciated thatadditional information may, but need not be, included in a beam-typetransmission.

In some exemplary embodiments transceiver 907 may be configured as amaster controller node and receiver 903 may be configured as atransceiver. In such embodiments, communication to circuitry 900 may beinitiated by transceiver 907 sending a beam that includes a device IDassociated with circuitry 900 through a pathway of the dynamic network.Receiver 903 may then receive this transmission, identify it as a Z-Wavetransmission, and identify that it is the intended recipient, initiate awake up of transceiver 902 to receive a subsequent transmission, andtransmit a response to transceiver 907 through a predetermined pathwayindicating that the beam was received. The response may be provided tothe master controller associated with transceiver 907 and used inconnection with control, organization and optimization of the dynamicnetwork.

In certain other embodiments, such as those where receiver 903 does notinclude transmission capability, the node ID associated with circuitry900 may be utilized to further identify transceiver 907 as a potentialsleeper, such as a FLiRS (frequently listening routing servant) node.Alternatively a separate potential sleeper identifier may be used. Thepotential sleeper identifier may be utilized by the master controller incontrolling beam transmission and network configuration, operation andoptimization. For example, the master controller may increase theduration of the beam or a subsequent transmission to account for thedelay between the receipt of a beam by receiver 903 and the waking andtransmission of a confirmation signal by transceiver 902. Additionallyor alternatively the master controller or another node attempting tosend a post-beam transmission may delay or otherwise change the timingsof the transmission or may repeat or resend the transmission to accountfor wakeup delay. Additionally or alternatively, the master controllermay account for potential delay by adjusting the time period or deadlinewithin which it expects to receive the confirmation signal fortransmissions of a beam or post-beam transmission to a potential sleepernode, and/or adjusting its control, configuration operation andoptimization routines to account for the fact that it may not receive aresponse signal when expected. The master controller may also accountfor potential delay by sending duplicate transmission to account for thepossibility that a sleeper node may be sleeping.

It shall be appreciated that decoding, processing and otherfunctionalities disclosed herein may be performed by receiver 903,controller 906, additional or alternate circuitry, or combinationsthereof. Additionally, it shall be appreciated that in some formsreceiver 903 may be a transceiver also having the capability to transmitradio frequency signals on the specified channel and in accordance withthe specified communication protocol utilized by transceiver 902. Insome embodiments this transceiver may be operable to transmit a signalin response to a specified transmission in order to avoid the sendingdevice from mistakenly concluding that its intended recipient is notoperational. In some forms the response may include a request forretransmission of the same information so that it can be received bytransceiver 902. Such functionalities may be used in connection withdynamic networks such as dynamically configurable networks whoseoperation and optimization depends upon receipt of responses and may betime sensitive.

Position sensing and motor control circuitry 904 is operable to sensethe position of an electromechanical locking mechanism and to control amotor to actuate the locking mechanism. Circuitry 904 may includemechanical and electrical features described herein. Circuitry 904 is inoperative communication with controller 906 and is operable to sendinformation thereto and receive information therefrom.

User input circuitry 905 is operable to receive credentials input by auser, for example, from a keypad, touchpad, swipe card, proximity card,key FOB, RFID device, biometric sensor or other devices configured toprovide an access credential that can be evaluated to determine whetheror not to actuate a locking mechanism to provide or deny access to auser. Circuitry 905 is in operative communication with controller 906and is operable to send information thereto and receive control signalsand other information therefrom.

FIG. 29 further illustrates a remote transceiver 907 which is operableto transmit and receive information on the same specified channel andusing the same specified communications protocol as transceiver 902 andreceiver 903. Remote transceiver 907 is in operative communication withserver 911 which is operable to send control signals and otherinformation thereto and receive information therefrom. Server 911 isconnected to and provides communication with network 908 which mayinclude a local area network, wide area network, the internet, othercommunication networks, or combinations thereof. Remote transceiver 907is operable to communicate with at least transceiver 902 and receiver903, and may also communicate with one or more additional networkeddevices 909 which may themselves communicate with transceiver 902 orreceiver 903.

In some exemplary embodiments communication between transceiver 902,transceiver 903, transceiver 907, and/or networked devices 909 may occurover a dynamically configurable wireless network. Certain exemplaryembodiments enhance performance and compatibility of sleep/waketransceiver systems and dynamically configurable wireless networks byproviding configuring transceiver 902 to receive a first signaltransmitted by a control node of a dynamic wireless network, such astransceiver 907. The first signal may include an intended recipient ID.Transceiver 902 may be operable to demodulate the first signal andprovide the intended recipient ID to controller 906. Controller 906 maybe operable to evaluate the intended recipient ID and selectably controltransceiver 902 to transmit an acknowledgment signal based upon thisevaluation. This acknowledgement signal can be received by transceiver907 and provided to server 911 for use in controlling, maintaining oroptimizing a dynamic wireless network such as a dynamically configurablewireless network. The acknowledgment signal sent by transceiver 902 uponreceipt of a signal from a control node may include an informationretransmission request. The retransmission request may be received bytransceiver 907 and provided to server 911 for use in providinginformation to transceiver 903. In some forms the retransmission requestmay be a request to transmit substantially the same information totransceiver 903 as was transmitted to transceiver 902. In some forms theretransmission request may be a request to transmit additional ordifferent information to transceiver 903 than was transmitted totransceiver 902.

Transceiver 903 may be configured to wake up in response to a wake upcommand from the controller which may be triggered by a wake up requestsent to controller 906 from transceiver 902. In some forms thetransmission of the intended recipient ID may serve as a wake uprequest. In other forms other signals may be used. Once awake,transceiver 903 may receive a second radio signal from the control nodeof the dynamic wireless network. The second signal may include door lockaccess information. Transceiver 903 may be operable to demodulate thesecond signal and provide the door lock access information to controller906 which can evaluate the door lock access information and commandactuation of a locking mechanism such as those described herein basedupon the evaluation.

Alternatively or additionally, the second signal may include door lockquery information that may be demodulated by transceiver 903, providedto controller 906 and used to sense information of a locking mechanismposition. Controller 906 may be further operable to control transceiver903 to transmit this locking mechanism position information which can bereceived by other nodes of the network, such as transceiver 907, andprovided to server 911 or other designated destinations. A number oftypes of information of a locking mechanism position may be sensedincluding the position of the locking mechanism such as a deadbolt inaccordance with the position sensing devices and techniques disclosedherein. Additionally, some embodiments may determine whether a lockingmechanism was last actuated manually or automatically.

Some exemplary dynamic network embodiments may include further featureswhich will now be described. The signal received by transceiver 902 andthe signal received by transceiver 903 may be transmitted on the samechannel such as on the same frequency or band, may conform to the sametransmission protocol, may include substantially the same information,may differ in their informational content only with respect toinformation pertaining to transmission time or transmission ID, and/orthe two signals may be substantially identical. Either or both signalsmay include door lock access information, intended recipient informationand/or other information. Either or both signals may be encrypted andencoded in various manners.

Some exemplary dynamic network embodiments may include additionalfeatures. Transceivers 902 and 903 may share a common antenna or mayutilize separate antennas. Transceiver 902 and controller 906 may beoperable to first evaluate the strength of a radio signal relative to afirst criterion, such as a received signal strength indication, andsecond evaluate the intended recipient ID based upon said the firstevaluation. Controller 906 may control transceiver 902 to periodicallypoll for a first signal while transceiver 903 is asleep, and controltransceiver 903 to periodically poll for a signal when awake.Transceiver 902 may draws less current when periodically polling thantransceiver 903 when periodically polling. Controller 906 may beoperable to sense locking mechanism position information and control alocking mechanism in accordance with one or more of the techniquesdisclosed herein or alternate or additional techniques.

With reference to FIG. 30, there is illustrated exemplary circuitry 912for a remotely operable electromechanical lock. Circuitry 912 includespower supply 910, Z-Wave transceiver 920, FOB transceiver 930, userinput circuitry 950, microcontroller 960, position sensing circuitry970, and motor control circuitry 980. Power supply 910 is abattery-based power supply and is operably connected to the othercomponents of circuitry 912 to provide power thereto. Z-Wave transceiver920 is connected to blocks 961, 962 and 963 of microcontroller 960.Block 961 is a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter input. Block962 is a serial peripheral interface input. Block 963 is a multi-channelZ-Wave input/output block. Block 962 is also connected to EEPROM 931 andZ-Wave programming connector 932. Block 963 is also connected to Z-Waveprogramming connector 932. Chip select and reset signals may beconnected to programming connector 932 and may be used if the mainmicrocontroller needs to reprogram Z-Wave transceiver 920.

FOB transceiver 930 is connected to block 964 of microcontroller 960which may include a number of pins that form an SPI interface, forexample, data in, data out and clock. A chip select line may also beused to select the chip on the device that a main controller willcommunicate with, for example, the accelerometer or the flash. Eachdevice may share the SPI interface or may have a separate chip selectline. Block 964 is a serial peripheral interface bus input. FOBtransceiver 930 is also connected to shock vibration sensor 933, whichis in turn connected to inputs 966 and 967 of microcontroller 960. Block966 is an accelerometer interrupt input. Block 967 is an accelerometerpower supply. The shock vibration sensor 933 includes an accelerometerand is used to detect impacts of vibrations that may be associated withinappropriate activity on the door. These may include, for example,tampering or attempted forced entry.

FOB transceiver 930 is also connected to block 969 of microcontroller960 which includes an FOB transceiver input/output. Motor controlcircuitry 980 is connected to block 984 of microcontroller 960 which isa motor control input/output. Motor control circuitry 980 includes amotor controller 976 and motor connector 980. Flash memory 934 isconnected to flash power 965 EEPROM input/output 968, shock vibrationsensor 933, and transceiver 930. Motor control circuit may be used todrive an auto-throwable deadbolt or other door locking mechanism.Additionally the microcontroller 960 is operable to monitor the currentdrawn by the motor drive circuit to determine when a stall condition ofthe motor exists.

Microcontroller block 981 is an LED control input/output that isoperatively connected to LEDs 935. Microcontroller block 982 is an alarmcontrol input/output that is operatively connected to alarm control 936which is in turn operatively connected to and is operable to controlalarm 991. Block 983 of microcontroller 960 is a tamper push buttoninput/output which is operatively connected to tamper push button 937that is configured or positioned internal to the electromechanical doorlock and operable to indicate when tampering is occurring. Block 989 ofmicrocontroller 960 is a programming input/output and is operablyconnected to programming connector 975. Programming connector 975 isoperable to interface with an external user block to programmicrocontroller 960. Block 988 of microcontroller 960 is an externalsensor input/output and is operably connected to circuitry 970.Circuitry 970 includes motor and gear home position sensors 972,thumbturn and cam position sensors 971 and wiper contact switches 973which may be provided in one or more of the encoder configurationsdescribed hereinabove or other encoder configurations.

Microcontroller block 986 is a battery voltage input and is connected toanalog to digital converter 987 within microcontroller 978 andexternally to battery voltage monitoring circuit 974. Battery monitorcircuit 974 is used to measure the battery level and indicate to theuser when battery is in need of replacement. The circuit is actuated bytaking a signal check battery high which turns on an N-channel FET. TheN-channel FET then pulls the gate of a P channel FET low allowingcurrent to flow through a voltage divider circuit where the batteryvalue line is input to an analog to digital converter. This saves thecurrent consumption of the voltage divider when the battery voltage isnot being measured. This operation may take place periodically, forexample, about once every day.

Microcontroller block 985 is a universal asynchronous receivertransmitter input/output and is operably connected to through-doorconnector 958. Through-door connector 958 includes a positive batteryline, a positive regulated 3V line, a ground line, a UART-TX line, and aUART-RX line. Through-door connector is operably coupled tomicroprocessor 956. Microprocessor 956 is connected to LEDs 951, 952 and953 as well as to user inputs 954 and 955. In some exemplaryembodiments, user input 954 is a 10-target keypad array and user input955 is a push button input. It is also contemplated that additional andalternate user inputs such as those described herein may be utilized.

With reference to FIG. 31 there is illustrated exemplary circuitry 800for a remotely operable electromechanical lock. Circuitry 800 includesZ-Wave antenna circuitry 880 which is configured to receive signals on afrequency and channel of a Z-Wave transmission. Z-Wave antenna circuitry880 is operatively connected to switch 870 which may be used for antennatuning and may be bypassed with a capacitor or resistor for production.Switch 870 is operatively connected to SAW band pass filter 860 which isoperatively connected to switch 850. Switch 850 is operable to connectand disconnect Z-Wave antenna, Z-Wave chipset 820, FOB transceiver 830and other components associated with circuitry 800. An impedancematching network is also provided between antenna 880 and switch 850.Z-Wave chipset 820 and FOB transceiver 830 are both implemented asdiscrete layouts in the illustrated embodiment however it should beunderstood that module based implementations are also contemplated.

Circuitry 800 is operable to reduce power consumption in current drainby an electromechanical door lock. Z-Wave chipset 820 is capable ofoperating to poll for a Z-Wave signal. For example, Z-Wave chipset 820may wake every second and check for a Z-Wave signal. In doing so, Z-Wavechipset 820 will draw about 26 mA while polling. FOB transceiver 830 isa transceiver integrated circuit which is also operable to poll for aZ-Wave signal. In contrast to Z-Wave chipset 820, FOB transceiver 830draws about 3 mA when polling. A microcontroller connected to FOBtransceiver 830 and Z-Wave chipset 820 is operable to use theircontrasting characteristics to save power and reduce current drain.According to one exemplary method, the microcontroller places Z-Wavechipset 820 in the sleep mode where it consumes reduced power, andcontrols FOB transceiver 830 to periodically poll for a Z-Wave signal.In one form, FOB transceiver 830 is controlled to poll for a signal on a908 MHz channel about one time per second. After each polling FOBtransceiver 830 sends an RSSI value to the microcontroller. Themicrocontroller analyzes the RSSI value as follows. If the RSSI value isbelow a predetermined threshold nothing happens. If the RSSI value isabove a predetermined threshold the microcontroller wakes up the Z-Wavechipset 820. After being awakened the Z-Wave chipset 820 checks for aZ-Wave communication. If there is no Z-Wave communication, the Z-Wavecontroller will go back to sleep in about 4 mS. If a Z-Wavecommunication was detected, the Z-Wave chipset will check the node ID.If the node ID is for a different device the Z-Wave chipset will go backto sleep. If the node ID equals the node ID of Z-Wave chipset 820,controller it will stay awake to receive packets.

Z-Wave transceiver 920 and FOB transceiver 830 are configured to detecta Z-Wave signal on the same communication channel at the same frequency.In various forms FOB transceiver 830 may have the capability of itselfdetecting and evaluating a Z-Wave preamble, node ID, and or otherinformation encoded on a Z-Wave beam alone or in connection with amicrocontroller or other circuitry. This may further reduce the numberof false wakeup events where a Z-Wave signal is received but is notintended for a Z-Wave chipset 820.

As used herein, relative terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “right”, “left”,“side”, etc. are used for ease of descriptive convenience only and arenot meant to imply any type of limitation. For example, if an aspect ofthe application is disclosed as located on the “top” of a component, thelocation of that particular aspect can also be positioned elsewhereincluding the “bottom”, “right”, “left”, “side”, etc. unless indicatedexplicitly to the contrary.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and thatall changes and modifications that come within the spirit of theinventions are desired to be protected. It should be understood thatwhile the use of words such as preferable, preferably, preferred or morepreferred utilized in the description above indicate that the feature sodescribed may be more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary andembodiments lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope ofthe invention, the scope being defined by the claims that follow. Inreading the claims, it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,”“at least one,” or “at least one portion” are used there is no intentionto limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to thecontrary in the claim. When the language “at least a portion” and/or “aportion” is used the item can include a portion and/or the entire itemunless specifically stated to the contrary.

1. A door lock apparatus comprising: a locking mechanism actuatablebetween a locked position and an unlocked position; an electronicallycontrollable actuator operable to actuate the locking mechanism betweenthe locked position and the unlocked position via at least one drivingmember based upon an electronic command; a first position sensor coupledto and moveable with the driving member; a manual actuator operable toactuate the locking mechanism between the locked position and theunlocked position; a second position sensor coupled to and moveable withthe manual actuator; an encoder configurable in a plurality of physicalstates by moving the first position sensor and the second positionsensor; and a controller operable to control the electronicallycontrollable actuator and to evaluate a position of the lockingmechanism for both a left hand configuration of the lock and a righthand configuration of the lock based upon input from at least one of thefirst position sensor and the second position sensor.
 2. The door lockapparatus according to claim 1 wherein the automatic driving member isoperable to apply force to the manual driving member and the manualdriving member is moveable without applying force to the automaticdriving member.
 3. The door lock apparatus according to claim 2 whereinthe driving member comprises a gear, the manual actuator comprises acam, and the gear is in a lost motion driving relationship with the cam.4. The door lock apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the firstposition sensor comprises a first electrical contact, the secondposition sensor comprises a second electrical contact, the encodercomprises a plurality of conductive traces, the first electrical contactis moveable relative to a first set of the conductive traces to define aplurality of closed circuit and open circuit conditions therebetween,and the second electrical contact is moveable relative to a second setof the conductive traces to define a plurality of closed circuit andopen circuit conditions therebetween.
 5. The door lock apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the electronically controllable actuatorcomprises an electric motor.
 6. The door lock apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein the manual actuator comprises at least one of a turnknob and a key cylinder.
 7. The door lock apparatus according to claim 1wherein the locking mechanism comprises a deadbolt.
 8. The door lockapparatus according to claim 8 wherein the deadbolt is taperedsubstantially along an axis of motion.
 9. The door lock apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the controller is operable to evaluatewhether the locking mechanism was last actuated automatically ormanually based upon input from at least one of the first position sensorand the second position sensor.
 10. The door lock apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein the controller is configured to evaluate the position ofthe locking mechanism in response to an external query.
 11. The doorlock apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a turn knob tailpiece and a bolt throw cam both having mating features limiting aconfiguration of the turn knob tail piece relative to the bolt throwcam.
 12. The door lock apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the boltthrow cam includes a first mating feature compatible with the matingfeature of the turn knob tail piece and a second mating feature limitingthe orientation of the bolt throw cam relative to a deadbolt.
 13. Anon-transitory computer readable medium configured to store executableinstructions comprising: lock actuation instructions executable tocontrol an actuator to apply force to a locking mechanism of a door lockin a locking direction and an unlocking direction; and position sensinginstructions executable to evaluate a state of an encoder including aplurality of circuits, the state of said circuits varying based upon thelocking mechanism position; wherein a first set of states of theplurality of circuits designates a position of the locking mechanism fora left handed lock and a second set of states of the plurality ofcircuits designates a position of the locking mechanism for a righthanded lock.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable medium accordingto claim 13 wherein a first group of the plurality of circuits is inselectable communication with a first contact effective to vary open andclosed circuit states of the first group upon motion of the firstcontact.
 15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according toclaim 14 wherein a second group of the plurality of circuits is inselectable communication with a second contact effective to vary openand closed circuit states of the second group upon motion of the secondcontact.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according toclaim 15 wherein the open and closed circuit states of the first groupencode position information of the locking mechanism and the open andclosed circuit states of the second group encode information usable todetermine whether the lock was last actuated manually or automatically.17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13wherein the first set of states and the second set of states share atleast one common circuit.
 18. The non-transitory computer readablemedium according to claim 13 wherein the first set of states and thesecond set of states include states designating a locked position, anunlocked position, and a fully locked position.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium according to claim 18 wherein the lockedposition is a dead latched position of a deadbolt.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13 whereinthe first set of states and the second set of states include statesdesignating a fully unlocked position, an almost unlocked position, afully locked position and an almost locked position.
 21. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13 whereinthe computer executable instructions are stored in firmware provided ina controller accessible memory of the door lock.
 22. Anelectromechanical door lock comprising: a locking mechanism actuatablebetween a locked position and an unlocked position; a motor operable toapply force to the locking mechanism in a locking direction and anunlocking direction via at least one gear; a knob operable to applyforce to the locking mechanism in the locking direction and theunlocking direction, the knob being in a lost motion relationship withthe gear; an encoder configured to assume a plurality of statesdepending upon a position of the gear and a position of the knob, afirst group of the plurality of states providing information for a lefthanded configuration of the door lock and a second group of theplurality of states providing information for a right handedconfiguration of the door lock; and a controller operable to control themotor to apply force to the locking mechanism, receive information fromthe encoder indicating the position of the gear and the position of theknob, and evaluate position of the locking mechanism for a left handconfiguration of the door lock or a right hand configuration of the doorlock.
 23. The electromechanical door lock according to claim 22 whereinthe knob may rotate over a predetermined range independent of the gearand the gear may drive the knob.
 24. The electromechanical door lockaccording to claim 22 wherein the locking mechanism is a tapered deadbolt.
 25. The electromechanical door lock according to claim 22 whereinthe controller is operable to evaluate whether the position resultedfrom actuation of the gear or from actuation of the knob.
 26. Theelectromechanical door lock according to claim 22 wherein the controlleris operable to differentiate between an almost locked position and afully locked position.
 27. The electromechanical door lock according toclaim 22 wherein the controller is operable to differentiate between analmost unlocked position and a fully unlocked position.